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The festive season is upon us and no doubt preparations are underway to welcome the big bearded man in the red suit into your home this weekend.

But for those of us who acknowledge that maybe all those presents don’t arrive following Santa’s descent down the chimney, consider this, is there a risk that your most important visitor of the year could get stuck in your automated gates?

Could you be responsible for the crime of the year, Father Christmas being struck down following an electric…

A number of companies are still using force limitation as a primary safety device on an automated gate. As the pioneering charity which first brought the issue of automated gate safety to the public’s attention, Gate Safe explains why this is a flawed practice.

As stated by the HSE ‘maximum impact / forces permitted by the standards may not always be appropriate for the most vulnerable members of society’

Force limitation will not deliver safety at the hinge point on a swing gate

Gate Safe is becoming increasingly concerned at the huge disparity in the prices that are being charged to customers for gate repairs and safety upgrades.

As the pioneering charity established to improve the standards of automated gate safety, Gate Safe is naturally keen to ensure that unscrupulous pricing does not become a barrier to increasing the number of safe gates in the UK.

Gate Safe would like to issue the following advice to anyone looking to ask a professional to undertake works on…

With the holidays looming, many schools will be looking to make the most of the break to undertake maintenance works to improve or upgrade the school buildings and outdoor facilities.

Since perimeter security and access control remain high on the list of priorities for the majority of educational establishments keen to safeguard the children in their care, it is becoming common place to see automated – and manual - gates sited within a school…

The holidays represent an ideal time for those responsible for the maintenance of school buildings to undertake any key works safe in the knowledge that this will represent no disruption to staff or pupils.

In addition to any significant building projects, the longer breaks are also when routine maintenance of the building takes place. Within this schedule of works, any schools which feature automated gates should consider undertaking an up to date risk assessment in addition to the…

A new standard has been introduced for new or retro-fitted doors in public spaces, which has some relevance to automated gates. BS 8613:2017 provides guidance on the best finger protection devices for doors but there are aspects of this standard which should definitely be applied when considering the potential risk of trapping fingers in automated and manual gates.

Based on A&E data, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has suggested that around 40,000 serious accidents…

The main thrust of the Gate Safe campaign has always been to deliver guidance and training in practical terms which is easy to comprehend - rather than in a technical language littered with jargon - to help improve the safety of automated gates…

In our opinion, a standard which is not only written in a language that few would identify with but one which is 55 pages long, is unlikely to be read, yet alone understood and adhered to by the average installer – as is the case with the BS EN 13856…

Since the two tragic automated gate deaths of 2010, there is an enhanced awareness of the dangers associated with an unsafe gate and indeed, an improved appetite to understand what steps need to be taken to establish a safe and compliant installation.

Following the guidance set down in the formal British Standards which provides the basis for any risk assessment, is widely acknowledged as the correct route to take towards achieving a safe gate. The question is, does every installer have…